Chapter 27: Kix’s Charm

JADE:

“So, what do you say? Let’s catch him together, shall we,” Kix exclaimed, his face all enthusiastic as he extended a hand towards me.

Did I hear him right? He said he’d catch the killer together with me?

“Why would you do that,” I said. “Aren’t you going to stop me? Aren’t you going to say that this is just crazy and dangerous?”

“Well, it’s dangerous alright, but what is danger to you if I’m here, and if people want to think this is crazy, let’s just go crazy together then… So how about it, partner?” He extended his hand even closer as if urging me to take it.

I reached for his hand, but instead of taking it, I slapped it away.

“What makes you think I will take your hand again,” I snapped. “For the last time, Mr. Francisco Sarmiento, please leave me alone. I don’t want to be caught to your lies once more. Just pretend you don’t know me until we graduate, alright?!”

I walked three steps away before he hovered at my back and hugged me from behind.

“Hey,” I yelled sharply.

“Psst, three o’ clock,” he whispered from above me.

He just gave me a direction to look at. It was a thing Kix and I used to do when we wanted to observe someone without looking like we were actually observing them…

Instinctively, my eyes darted towards the direction he mentioned, which was straight towards my right side.

As soon as I did, I caught a glimpse of the boy in the black hooded jacket and black cap, slumped against one of the walkway posts, talking to some students.

“Hey, don’t ogle so openly, baby girl… We’d get caught…”

I nudged Kix with my elbow, but it did little damage to his firm chest muscles. He did not even budge from his hug.

There was a time when I enjoyed it – Kix calling me different names of endearment, and the most common of it all was ‘baby girl…’

Ugh, why did he have to say it again and remind me of the past like this? He was really a bastard through and through!

We eyed the boy for a bit while pretending to be a lovey-dovey couple in the open space in the middle of the campus.

“Take your hands away from me, you bully,” I said in displeasure. He responded by hugging me even tighter.

“Love, it’s cold, so I don’t want you to get sick… Besides, you want to make sure he doesn’t recognize you, right? Just play along for a bit more,” he requested quietly.

I grunted and stomped at his left foot. The giant named Kix still continued to hug me despite the abuse.

After a minute or two, the boy waved his hand towards the two students he was talking to, and he walked further into the east corridor.

“Hey, Jadey, I’ll try to get some information about him. You stay right here,” Kix whispered.

Before I could open my mouth to protest, he unclasped his arms away from me and proceeded to walk towards the students who talked to the boy in dark jacket a while ago as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I could only watch in awe as Kix charmed his way into the midst of a bunch of strangers’ conversation, smiling and laughing, all the while just plainly doing nothing but being himself.

This was precisely Kix’s charm. He was dazzling and easy going, friendly, and utterly charismatic. Even when people didn’t want to, they’d always say yes to him. They always conceded…

That was how it all happened too on the day he confessed to me, the day he asked me to be his girl…

It was a cold day, just like today. We were walking on our way to school for a class practice.

It was the sports festival season. Kix was the star basketball player, the class’ chess master, and the president of the student council. I was tagging along as part of the pep squad.

I was carrying a bunch of props and banners the class made when it happened. I woke up late that morning. As such, I hurriedly took a bath and did not bother to fix my hair properly or put even a bit of powder on my face for fear of being late. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen.

“Jade,” KIx said, “slow down a bit. Why are you always in a rush?”

“Huh, but we’ll be late! You’re up on the first game.”

“Yes, but I’m not hurrying. See?”

He stopped walking altogether and even started walking backwards in jest.

I ran towards him. He offered to carry the props for the cheerers earlier. If we’re late, our classmates would kill us!

“Kix, please,” I begged, “stop messing around!”

“But I’m not messing around. I don’t want to go in yet.”

“Ugh, how can the team captain miss the game,” I said, vexed.

“The team captain needs to be energized,” he said, still running backwards away from me.

“What? Didn’t you eat breakfast?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he replied, slowing down a bit and letting me catch up to him.

“Well, what do you need? Let’s buy it and run to the stadium afterwards.”

“No one can buy it, but you can give it to me,” he said thoughtfully.

“What is it,” I asked impatiently. I tried to snatch one of the paper bags containing the props from his hand, but he held it higher over my head.

“Say yes first,” he said.

“What? What for?”

“Say yes. I need your permission first.”

I jumped and attempted to snatch the other shopping bag, but my non-athletic self failed once more.

“Okay, okay, yes,” I yelled on top of my lungs before I lunged for the paper bags once more.

Instead of reaching for the bags, a different part of my body collided with him as his soft and moist lips planted themselves deliberately upon mine.

As quickly as it started, the kiss ended, but the redness in my face, the resounding beat inside my heart, and the breath that I held when he kissed me remained.

“K-Kix,” I barely said, my hand reaching instinctively at the part he just kissed.

“Jade, I love you … I don’t think I can go on pretending anymore that you’re just some friend to me. You’re not a just friend…. You’re not even my best friend… You are the girl I really liked from the start. I love you, Jade Sy.”

He was my first guy friend, my first kiss, and the first boy I have ever loved.

He was also the first boy I had come to hate so much that it hurts…

My thoughts were quickly drawn back to the present when I saw Kix end his conversation with the two students. He sprinted back to where I was standing.

“Did you find anything,” I asked.

“Well, the bad news is they did not know the guy personally. He was just inquiring about an event. The good news is I got us a ticket to that event,” Kix exclaimed, holding two ticket stubs in front of me.

“Jade Sy, will you do me the honor of going to the Annual Psychology Society Ball this Saturday?”